在寻找像纳帕谷那样的风土时，聪明的消费者应该考虑门多西诺县和莱克县的赤霞珠。这些加利福尼亚北部两个县高地山谷和山坡的葡萄酒，与纳帕种植的葡萄酒具有相同的结构和浓度，但通常成本只是其中的一小部分。可靠的生产商，如门多西诺县的Barra和Paul Dolan，以及莱克县的Shannon Ridge和Steele，每年几乎都会生产出90分或更高等级赤霞珠，其价格远低于平均纳帕出租车。
门多西诺与索诺玛相似的风土是由形成了门多西诺、莱克及中央山谷地区的地质力量塑造，这些力量包括火山活动。在这两个地区，晚风给予了凉爽，而夏季白天可能比沿海种植区更热。这两郡与中央山谷之间有显著差异，后者的大部分葡萄酒被简单地标记为加利福尼亚州葡萄种植区（AVA）。在标签上看到门多西诺 AVA、门多西诺县 AVA 或莱克县 AVA 通常意味着更加丰富且经典表达，是一种对品种更加丰富、经典表达保证。
来自莱克县高海拔赤霞珠，该地区位于纳帕以北，是内陆区域，以其较高海拔而闻名。它包含18英里长的人造淡水湖——清湖，以及超过4,300英尺高度的地貌特征如休眠火山科诺克蒂峰。在清湖南侧，有红色丘陵AVAE以其高品质赤霞珠而闻名，其中一些如黑曜岭、索尔胭脂、斯波托以及鹰与马等，以其瓶装酒知名。
红色的丘陵上的葡萄藤生长在地面1,350到2,600英尺之间，在微红色火山土壤中成长，这些土壤养分含量较低，并且布满黑色黑曜石和石英晶体碎片。恶劣条件转化为相对较低产量的小果实，这在发酵过程中提供了果皮与果汁比例高等级，从而产生了浓郁水果味道，以及丰富细腻单宁，有助于陈年的优良口感。
收藏杂志多少钱一本？2022年1月24日整理发布：聪明消费者应该像欣赏纳帕谷一样欣赏Mendocino County and Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines from the high-altitude valleys and hillside vineyards of Mendocino and Lake counties in northern California have the same structure and concentration as those grown in Napa Valley but are usually a fraction of the cost. Reliable producers such as Barra of Mendocino and Paul Dolan from Mendocino County, along with Shannon Ridge and Steele from Lake County, consistently produce excellent Cabernet Sauvignons that score 90 points or higher. Their prices are significantly lower than average for Napa Valley.
The similar terroir to Sonoma is shaped by geological forces that formed the regions of Mendocino, Lake, and Central Valley. The latter's grapes are simply labeled as California Appellation (AVA). Seeing labels with "Mendocino AVA," "Mendocino County AVA" or "Lake County AVA" typically guarantees a more diverse selection of grape varieties.
Located north of Napa Valley inland at higher elevations is Lake county known for its high-altitude Cabernet Sauvignon wine production which includes an 18-mile-long artificial freshwater lake - Clearlake - as well as features like Mount Konocti above 4,300 feet elevation. Red Hills on the south side of Clearlake is famous for its premium-quality Cabernet Sauvignon wines such as Black Swan Estate Vineyard & Winery - Black Swan Vineyard; Double Eagle Vineyards; Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery; Silver Oak Cellars; Staglin Family Vineyard among others.
Red Hills' vineyards grow between 1,350 to 2,600 feet above ground level in reddish volcanic soils rich in minerals but low in nutrients containing black obsidian stones fragments mixed with quartz crystals particles. Harsh conditions result into lower yields smaller fruit skins which provide higher ratio skin-to-juice during fermentation resulting into rich flavors full-bodied texture fine-grained tannins contributing to aging potential.
The price behind it: In 2018 Mendocinos red cabernets sold for $2205 per ton while Lakes were slightly less at $2061 per ton compared to state averages around $1019 per ton respectively both being very expensive against average costs paid by growers in Napas region who pay up to $7925 each year..
